Day 12

Okay so as promised, lets start the action packed day.

Started off going to get my scholarship which was reviewed and I was given the full $500 instead of the pro-rated $250 that I was expecting.  Thats great news, even though it ends up only being around 147 Euros.  Anything is helpful.  Went to my local cafe where got something that is like a pizza and a sandwich at the same time.  Always delicious.

Came back to get ready for class and checked my email real quick.  Thankfully I did because apparently class is cancelled because of a public transportation strike.  I had no idea this was going on, but for once I was actually disappointed that a class was canceled.  I only have around 10 of these classes, and really believe that it could be my favorite class ever.  Of course, to make up class time she wants to reschedule it during a time where everyone is planning trips.  I am not worried though, she seems very flexible and already has wrote back saying too many people are going on trips.

Not wanting to stay in, I ventured out determined to make my own adventure.  Stopped first at the local market, where traders set up their own shops.  Everything from fruits and vegetables to t-shirts and souvenirs are available there.  Decided to give a fruit cup with kiwi, pineapple, cantelope and watermelon a try.  Wow.  These really are the best quality fruits i've ever eaten.  I couldn't believe how great it was.  My mouth is watering as I write this and I'm not even hungry.

Continued on past the large white marble monument to Vittorio Emmanuel II, the first King of Unified Italy.   

 Found where the Imperial forum was, which had numerous buildings created between 46BC and 116 AD.  Everything from monuments to Augustus Caesar to Julius Caesar and even a temple of peace were built here.

Noticed as I was passing many of the monuments that not just the usual police, but actual military were present in their uniforms and of course with their weapons.  Didn't really understand why--will visit that in a minute.

Great view of the Colosseum as I found a nice, grassy park that was nearby in my exploring.

This park was very clear and grassy.  In a part of Rome that you usually cannot find any open space, much less a large grassy park, I found that interesting.  Turns out this is the site of the Domus Aurea, a large villa that was built by the conceited emperor Nero.  The Domus Aurea is under excavation, and was not available to the public.  This land was once populated with many buildings several thousand years ago until a great fire burned it to the ground.  The land was then taken by Emperor Nero to build his own personal villa.  Rumor has it, it is very accepted that the Emperor himself secretly set fire to the land.  Nowadays, it is widely accepted through science and psychologists that Nero was mentally retarded.  Many actions point to that...none less than him marrying his own sister.

Continued on the end of the park where I found the Ambassador's house to one of the Arab nations.  His backyard just happens to be an ancient thermal baths.

While much of the world could not even find water, Rome had its own public heated baths.  These baths were heated by slaves that would feed coal into a furnace below the bath.  The water would be scented with natural herbs or spiced wines.  It was typical after a bath for a Roman to receive a massage and aromatherapy.  Sounds like they still bathe nicer than we do.





So continued on in an unknown direction, actually stumbling into an Italian college where I definitely did not fit in with my shorts and tourist camera.  Managed to find my way out and ended up on a road overlooking the Colosseum...which is where I found out why the military had been stationed everywhere.

So apparently there was a mass protest.  I have seen videos of European protests, they are not small and usually are violent.  I saw no violence here but tried figuring out what they were protesting.  Keep in mind this is where I was like only an hour before--and this is the start of the protest.  More people joined.

Couldnt read many of the signs because of my lack of Italian understanding.  I could get this one, No Privatizing of the Public Services.  In Rome there are many great public fountains, where you can literally drink the water out of or fill your water bottle up.  Privatizing the water companies would take the burden of the city of Rome, but that would mean all these wonderful fountains would likely be shut off.  There would be no profit in free water.




The protest was pretty intense, cars that got stuck in the middle of it were stuck for 30 minutes.  The police eventually came and started directing 5 lanes of traffic another direction.  This is a major road through the heart of Rome that was interrupted, and although the city seemed expectant of the protest, I dont think they knew exactly when it would happen.

Being me, I had to walk down and walk past.  No sense in getting in the middle of it, but I did want to explore more of the ruins beside the Colosseum.

Arch of Constantine built in triumph of in the Battle of Milvian Bridge around 312 AD.  The battle was pretty much the ending of a Civil War in Rome.  Yepp, America didnt even originate the good 'ol Civil War.  Speaking of Civil War, saw the Confederate flag on the back of a bus here called the General Lee.  Pretty funny.

Some of the ancient ruins that i walked past where churches and markets were erected, sometime around the turn of the millennium from BC to AD.  Very beautiful. Hard to imagine, but the ancient Romans hated bricks.  Everything brick you see, was once covered at least with marble.  Most likely the marble was recycled for things many many centuries later, however long before America was a country.  Obviously before we started to appreciate history.

Entrance inside the ruins, note the preserved picture that is on top. I am just guessing, but it looked like Jesus when I passed by.  Very cool.


















So found my way out of the ruins and back past where the protests were being held.  Made my way back to Capitoline Hill and walked towards my apartments.

 Not Military, but the Police were armed and had their riot shields and everything.  They definitely prepare for the worst here.  this wasnt even where the protest was being held.









Been cooking dinner more often to save money, and cooked Rigatoni and Texas toast tonight.  Not too bad considering I usually don't cook pasta.

Actually finished booking my trip with my roomates to the Netherlands! So excited.  Going to be in the heart of Amsterdam.  Plan to look at the Van Gogh museum and apparently the house that Anne Frank hid at is also in the heart of Amsterdam.

Went out for a walk at night after stress of booking a trip this close to the date.  As i was leaving, watched about 20-25 police motorcycles leave at full speed.  Several riot vans left as well.  Apparently the protests didnt finish.  Was deep in thought in my walk and someone stuck their hand out at me while i was walking, the owner of the local cafe.  Very nice man, I do love the people here.  Everyone is always so happy and very nice to you.  So that was the end of my exciting day.

Hope that I stayed true to my word and this was at least an interesting day.  I sure know it was for me.  Look for more as the weekend approaches and we venture to the Almalfi coast, Naples, and Pompeii.  Thank you all for reading!

Day 11

Very quiet Sunday. We all slept in and caught up on sleep. Went to a nearby cafe and sat reading the newspaper on my iPad while having a cappachino and a beer. Really interesting the drinking habits of people in Rome. Here I am, finally 21 and not once have I been asked for my ID. Actually no one I know has been asked to see ID since I've been here. Probably because the drinking age is 16. Boy will those under 21 be in for a culture shock when they get back to the US. People, even teens seem to drink a lot more responsibly here than Americans do back home. The Italiand start drinking when Im just getting up, but don't seem to "chug" or drink excess amounts of alcohol in a short period of time. Actually, the only person I have seen passed out was an American girl apparently on vacation and was laying in the street~~how embarrassing. Your a disgrace to us all.

I'm starting to figure out how to cross the streets, and will never look at traffic the same in the US. Drivers here can sense fear, you just have to look determined and they will(hopefully) stop. Been testing my theory out on cars that are smaller then most couches just in case I'm wrong. So far so good, only been hit by a van's mirror that was driving down the alleyway. Definetly no speeding/traffic tickets here. My kind of place. Heck, you don't even have to stop at stoplights if your are driving a moped/motorcycle and can move around people that are crossing the sidewalk. With all the motorcycles here, almost makes me want one when I get home(just kidding mom). But while people do drive crazy here, they seem to pay much more attention to the road than Americans. Have yet to see a real crash while I'm here.

Looking at a few trips for the weekends ahead, ranging from the Netherlands to Maranello, Italy(where Ferraris are built). Will figure that out soon enough. So to save money been cooking in, made tortelinni tonight for the first time. Delicious. Not much really went on today, but Italy's soccer team won something big. Soccer is of course the worlds largest sport, and Europe loves it. Heard fans celebrating all night, and even into the late morning. I tend to stay away from soccer mobs...

Sorry if a boring blog today, but promise tomorrow's is going to be packed with action and pictures! I can promise that. Thank you all for reading and be sure to tune in tomorrow!

Day 10

Woke up today and decided it would be a good day to hike back up the beautiful hill to the top where you can see all of Rome.  Plus it doesn't hurt to try and burn off all the calories that I've been getting from the pizza and pasta here.  

Panorama shot half-way up the hill.  

I am not sure of much of the history on this hill, but there are a few monuments.  Seems to be a revolutionist or something.  

One of the few places you can actually run around with your dog and lots of grassy areas.  Weird to think of, but here in the city lots of the people just let their dogs go to the bathroom on the sidewalk.  Some clean it up, others don't.  Always have to keep watch out for where your walking.  Seeing this pup play with the owner made me miss my Xena.  Some resemblance, the dog wasn't listening to it's owner and kept chasing pigeons.  Oh well haha.

Pretty view from the top.  Modern temple is the white marble structure at the day 2 of my blog. 

Found the Ambassador to Finland's house.  Very modest, or so it seems.  Until you see the backyard of course.  As one of my friends said the other day, "If Finland get's this place, we better get a gold-plated castle."  

Small walls that you could easily get over, but who's mad enough to attack Finland?  Note the 60 or so busts just hanging out around Finland's front yard

So got to the top and sat at a restaurant to just take in the beauty and sights and get a coffee and beer.  Total was 7.50 euros.  Should have seen that coming.  

 I asked a couple to stop and take a picture of me with the top in the background.  Funny thing was I started to try an explain it in Italian.  They let me get all the way through before they told me they were Canadian in plain English.  Oh well, at least they weren't like the German guy who told me he took a picture of me in front of Sistine Chapel, then actually didn't hit the button.

Speaking of Sistine Chapel...view from on top of mountain.  Just had to cross to the other side.

So after climb down, my friend and I went walking and ended up going all the way back to the Spanish Steps to visit good 'ol McDonalds.  Went to go to the bathroom and there was a line for girls and guys.  Some weird old European was letting girls go into the guys bathroom.  Umm yeah, we both have lines.  You wait in them.  You don't bring opposite genders into ours...  

Anyways, got the equivalent of quarter-pounder with cheese.  Sorry Mom, still didn't bring my camera.  I will be going back wayy too often though I am sure.  Relatively calm night, we went out for a little bit and then ended up just hanging around locals.  Their favorite thing to do is just sit around the monuments and squares and entertainment pops up around itself.  Anything from magicians, to street dancers and even people that dress up as statues and just try and stand still.  I might have to get one of those jobs if I can't quit spending money while I'm here.

Thanks guys for reading! Stay tuned for more.

Day 9

So today was a fun day.  Woke up and went with some friends to the top of the mountain(more like a really huge hill) and could see all of Rome.  Not an easy hike.  However, I didn't bring my camera and unfortunately the beautiful pictures will have to wait until I return tomorrow.

Very good day, found out that JCU will actually award me my full scholarship(thanks to my mom) and that helps a ton on money.  Went and had lunch with the boys and visited my favorite panini place.  It's starting to really be great, the locals are starting to know us and speak a fair amount of English. One local cafe that is always very friendly told us that the cafe has been in his family since 1939, when his grandfather purchased it for only 10 Euro.  Wow.  I just paid that for 2 beers and a cappachino.  Ohh thank you inflation....

The fun part of the night began when my roomates and I went out with some of the girls to eat dinner and walk around Rome at night.  Ate Italy's version of a Chicken Salad, which really was just a large piece of chicken with some lettuce surrounding it.

After dinner, we walked around and visited the Pantheon by night time.  On the way, saw an older gentleman driving a Ferrari 599.  Gave him a thumbs up and he revved it up for me.  Of course anybody knowing me, that could have made my night right there. Always nice to see someone who appreciates cars.

As you can imagine, alot less people at night so I was finally able to get a good picture.  You can see the size of it from the people at the bottom.  The doors are even massive.  Keep in mind this was constructed in 31 BC.









From the Pantheon we stopped to grab a few drinks because you are allowed to have open containers in the street all the way until 11:00PM.  It used to be at all hours, except some drunk British guy took off all his clothes and started playing around in the Trevi fountain once.  Drunk British people ruin everything.  According to locals, a Drunk Brit also drove his Toyota Celica down 138 of the 300 year old Spanish steps at one point in 2007.  Leave it to a Brit.

Next stop was intended to be the Trevi fountain, but we were sidetracked.  Turns out we walked right into the middle of an American movie set.  The independent movie was called, "Finding Clara" and it turns out we might actually be in the background of it.  Noticing we were American, the actor came over and introduced himself from California.  He started talking to us and a Italian actor came over(noticing we had drinks in our hand) to give us cheers.  It was rather funny because people started to think we were part of the movie, and started pulling out their video cameras and recording us.  Hilarious.

 Finally made our way to the Trevi fountain at night.  Even more beautiful than during the day time.

Picture of a few of us with the Trevi fountain in the background.  Apparently a very big hangout spot at night.  Although there are a lot of cops to keep the British from stripping and running around naked in the fountain...









Continued on the way to the Spanish Steps, which are not lit at night but still very beautiful.  I did however find some steps that were lit.

Pretty cool, the steps change pictures every few seconds.











After leaving the Spanish Steps, we headed to see the St.Peters square and the Sistine Chapel at night.

Sticks out like nothing else, even from a few miles away.

But nothing is like being right up close.  Funny thing is, the Vatican is considered it's own country.  So legally and technically, I left Italy for a few minutes. Very peaceful and very cool at the night time. We finished our own self-led tour right here and decided it was about time to head back to the apartment.







Once again, thanks all for reading! I promise to try and keep it interesting and coming.

Day 8

Technically, it's the first week anniversary of being here since I left Wednesday but didn't actually arrive until a Thursday.  Great first week, but today was kind of a rough morning here.  Woke up with water in my ear, which can definitely turn into a bad earache if untreated.  My internet had decided to quit working on my laptop, even though my iPad and everyone else's laptops were working just fine.  Also found out that one of the CNBC hosts whom I had watched 2 hours everyday for the last three years died unexpectedly.  

One bright spot was supposed to be that I was to receive my $500 scholarship from JCU.  Come to find out, the $500 scholarship was pro-rated for 2 classes, and I am only taking 1--leading to $250.  This would still be welcome, however I was informed that I had not yet been charged for a single room here, and that that cost was $300 for the month.  So not only did I not receive any money, I actually owe them money.

Other than the rough patches, was a relatively good day.  Found out that I am very much out of shape when I went to run next to the Tevere(Tiber) river.  Very pretty though, some large fish, birds, and even a beaver call that place their home.

Had a light dinner and went out with some friends for a little bit.  Tried some Tiramisu, delicious! Had fun at night, and enjoying my 1 week anniversary here very much.

Still loving every part of Rome, although I could never live permanently here. Just because of how out of touch with America it is here, which is both good and bad.  Thanks all for reading!

Day 7

Very interesting day. First experience with the public transportation in Rome. Woke up and met up with my class an hour early so that we could arrive on-site for the class, which was quite a while away.

So to get there we hopped on a bus. Now, buses here are NOT the size of buses back home. More like one of those Eco vans. There was a max capacity of 22 people, of which 19 were to be our class. At each stop though, more and more people piled in. At the endit took thendriver 5 times of opening and shutting the door to finally bs able to close it. Calling it crammed would not sufficiently explain it. Reminds me of a certain boat trip in Mexico where it was so overloaded that our boat sank in the middle of the ocean. Anyways, after a few concussions from the crazy driving and the 35 minute bus-sauna trip over, we made it to the museum that we were to meet at for class.

The museum was centered around an old etruscean temple, which was converted into a villa around the 1400s for Pope Julius III.

 The Etruscans were an ancient people who were conquered by the Romans, but the Romans adopted many of their practices because of the experience that Etrusceans had with gold and silver molding.

Unlike the Romans, the Etruscans were not skilled at marble crafting, they instead used terracotta, a much softer and less attractive building material.

The green stuff down there are lilypads that are covering water.  The terrace you see is a good ways under ground level.  As with nearly every Roman water fountain/structure, the water comes from a natural spring that is outside Rome.  Rome is one of the few cities in the world that does not have to every worry about it's water source, thanks in part to the  many discovered in ancient times.

Just a good view of the outside halls, all of the art that is on the roofs are of course hand painted.  They sure do know how to take care of their Pope.











At this point we entered the museum, which contained ancient Etruscan artifacts.  Unfortunately cameras were not allowed, and they did not even let us bring in our book bags.  The objects I saw in the museum were easily the oldest objects I have ever seen.  Most were ranging from anywhere between 700BC-300BC and were mostly personal objects found in tomes.  You could tell what was happening at that time based off of the personal objects people were buried with.  Lots of lavish gold jewelry and beautiful pottery--and it was most likely a peaceful and prosperous time.  Certain people were found with bronze weapons of war, obviously meaning they were likely engaged in combat at the time.

The tomes the Etruscans were buried in were also very lavish, and were sealed air-tight.  The bodies would be put on a couch, and the tomes would be sealed--forever.  Until at least they were excavated much closer to our current era.  The opening of these tomes were very spooky.  Apparently since the tomes were air-tight, the bodies did not even lose form, and would still be in the same position thousands of years later.  When the tome is opened and oxygen rushes in, the bodies immediately dissipate and swirl around as the air was.  I can only imagine the ancient spirits that people opening the tombs in the 1800s must have thought they angered. Very creepy.

The museum was a great experience, I have never seen such detail in their statues or jewelry, and especially in their art of crafting pottery.  I took a pottery class, I know how impossible it was for me to make anything with all our modern technology.  I cannot imagine the intensity of the labor 2600 years ago.

So our trip ended, and rather than taking the public transportation, we took a taxi back.  Extremely good decision, and only cost around 6 euro.  Way better than the bus.  Stopped outside of Castel Saint Angelo and actually got a picture in front of the courthouse in Rome.

Another one of those things that I cannot describe how large it is.  Almost makes you want to have a case there. (ALMOST).  Other than that just went back home and went to wine tasting, which was provided by the college we are studying at.  Actually very interesting as ironic as it sounds, and I actually know how to tell the differences between wine because of that.





Sorry for not keeping up on blog the past few days.  My internet on the laptop decides when it does and doesnt want to work, and will not give me a choice on the matter.  Woke up this morning and it worked fine...oh well.  Thanks everybody as always for reading, and I promise to keep it coming.

Day 6

Today will be probably one of the less action-oriented days in my blog.  Woke up around 11:45 to an empty apartment.  Everyone was at class or out.  So took the opportunity to hike over to Vatican city.

Vatican City is of course where the Pope resides, and is just massive.  Because of long lines(and since I was wearing shorts--which are not allowed) I did not go in today.

Walking across this bridge however I did get to see several low-class street merchants being chased by the cops out.  Very funny.

This is behind the Vatican.  Very peaceful park where people can come and bring their pets and children and just relax.  I enjoyed just sitting and enjoying the atmosphere there.









After walking out of Vatican city, I could see a colossal figure in the distance, and had no idea what it was.  So I went to investigate.

  

This of course is the historic Sistine chapel.  Michelangelo painted 1100m of the ceiling with beautiful art in the late 1400's.  It was considered his crowning achievement.  I unfortunately did not get to go in and see because of a two hour line, but it was truly breathtaking just being outside.

The picture above does not give justice to how large the square of the Sistine Chapel really is.  The detail in every statue that sits on those walls is just amazing.  Cannot imagine the construction labor and materials that had to be used.


Worked my way back to the house just in time to turn around and go off with some classmates to the bookstore.  Purchased an Italian phrase book, which I will be making note cards of each night to try and get better at speaking Italian.  The Spanish steps were once again nearby the bookstore, and we walked to the into the French church at the top.  Unfortunately I did not have my camera because it was raining.

Then we visited what were perhaps my favorite arches of all.  No not anything Da Vinci or Michelangelo could craft.  I am of course talking about McDonalds!  It was actually the nicest McDonalds I have ever been to.  They had just about everything that America's menus have, with a few additions that I had never seen.  20 or so order-takers, and two massive parts.  The first part was just the restaurant and the second was the actual McCafe.  The McCafe was a dessert bar with everything ranging from any kind of coffee to cheescake and probably 25 other desserts.  It was actually unbelievable, as sad as that may sound.

Came back and took a nap after that, then the roommates and I went over to American girls apartment who cooked a great meal, while we brought the traditional Italian wine.  Had a great dinner and a fun time.  Still trying to plan a trip to Pisa this weekend, although we keep encountering difficulties with planning for 9 people.   Rather basic day by Rome standards, but a great day.  Still loving Rome.  Thank you all for reading and see you tomorrow!

Day 5

Today was a thoroughly great day.  First day of classes.  Woke up feeling a little nervous about what to expect from the class and the professor.  The class I am taking is History of Ancient Monuments in Rome.  Attended an American Embassy meeting that just contributed to the unfortunate experiences that people have had while studying in Rome.  Although it definitely sticks out in our minds, it really is anything that you could expect from any big city in the US.  It seems common sense and being level-headed is a sure thing to avoid any unpleasant encounters.

After grabbing some pizza, made my way to class with many people I already knew.  I was very glad that I had met a decent amount of the students already, and were good friends with three others. When class started it wasn't long before I began to think that this really may be my favorite class I have ever taken. The honor & pride, politics, scandals, infrastructure....it's unbelievable.  My favorite thing to think of is that Romans in 500BC were far more modern than the Native Americans were in the 1600's in America.  Over two thousand years later, my Native American ancestors would not even hold a candle to my Roman ancestors.  I cannot even imagine how wonderful it was to live in Rome at that point and time.

Our Professor is an American born citizen that has been living in Rome for 5 years.  She is just awesome, super super intelligent while staying very much down to earth.  She has not one, but two P.H.D.'s.  And i thought my double major was impressive....

So we sat in class for 45 minutes, then headed off to explore Rome.  We went past much of what I already saw that first tour, but got much better information out of our professor.  Then we dove into what the tour guide never could have shown us.

These are the ruins and catacombs of an ancient Christian temple, built below the structure of 1500's church.  We are a good bit underground, it was like 50 degrees there! What you actually see in the picture is the sides of the temple and what was an ancient covered sidewalk in old times.  Like I said in days before, Rome would just build on top of old things, creating many uncovered layers of history.

Actual human bones that were found while excavating the site.












The preceding catacombs were below a beautiful church, most of the pictures though turned out blurry for some reason.  One didnt turn out so bad.

To the side is a great picture of an ancient temple that was dedicated to what they believe was actually the Port God.  As in boat port.  They did have gods for everything before Christianity.  Romans apparently were very good at recycling buildings, so the structure did not originally have anything in between those pillars.  It could have been anything from a house to a business at one point.  One significant thing about this building, is that it has the oldest original roof in Rome.  Very cool.

This is an ancient statue outside another church.  Apparently before women were to be married, they were told to come and put their hand where mine is.  They were then supposed to answer whether or not they were a virgin.  If they answered truthfully, nothing happened.  If they lied, apparently their hand was cut off.  Interesting indeed.

Beautiful church the statue was outside of.  Very very expensive materials used to build the church.











Okay and now for what I really love...the old stuff!

These are the steps leading up to what was the Roman Forum.  Everything here was not only at one point a swamp, but was under many businesses and houses at one point until it was excavated.  Not suprising, most of this dates back all the way to 500BC!  And I thought the American Civil War was a long time ago....

The pillars are what remains of the ancient Roman forum.  Everything from the emperor's speeches to elections, victory celebrations and even criminal trials were held here.  It stands far above the ground, and is very grandeur.  Definitely extremely humbling to see.

And finally we finished at one of the oldest and most well preserved churches in all of Roman history.  Churches were spared the wrath of destruction because of their religious significance.










So far having an amazing time....booked a ticket tonight for train to the Maltese Coast, Naples, and Pompeii! So exciting.  No class tomorrow(actually disappointed) but plenty left to explore.  Thanks for reading!

Day 4

Day 4 really was one of the quieter days and nights.  Woke up to the local cannon going off, which is always interesting.  Apparently this has been done for decades to provide a sound for the local church bells to be tuned correctly to.  Makes for a great wake up call.  Woke up and went to find a local place to get the usual Espresso.  Perfect day to describe how locals park their cars in Rome.  While in America, bumpers are used for making cars look cool and to smash the occasional deer that runs out in front of you.  However in Rome, bumpers are used literally to bump into other cars to force your way into a parking spot.  I watched a tiny little smart car go back-and-forth about 10 times before he was able to get out---each time running into the other peoples bumpers.  I think if you have a nice car you know where to park to avoid messing with the locals.  Very interesting and makes me feel alot better about parking in America.

Started pouring here in afternoon and did not really stop.

 I did get to learn a little more about the Transtevere neighborhood that we live in here.  This is not a good picture of what condition it currently is in, but is a good representation of the beauty of the hillside.  Transtevere literally translates into across(trans) the Tiber river(Tevere).  This is apparently one of the very famous and historic neighborhoods in all of Rome, and the locals considered themselves their own people compared to the Romans in ancient times.  There is alot of renaissance art from building to building, and you begin to see everyone of the locals day-to-day.  There is one man who runs a general store that I visit nearly everyday, who is the only employee and works from 9am-11pm 7 days a week.  That takes a lot of effort.

At night we just had a few friends over and began looking over the trips that we are considering taking.  One group is going to the Maltese coast, Pompeii and Naples.  The other is thinking of visiting Greece.  So far already said I would go on the first one, but we will see how plans pan out.  Went out grocery shopping at about dusk across the river, had to stop on the way back on the bridge.  I wish I had my camera to take a picture of the beautiful sunset overlooking the calm river.  I can already tell when I leave that I am going to be Romesick....(as opposed to homesick).  The personal touch of everything here is not just refreshing, but comforting.  Everyone moves at their own pace and is always smiling.  I love my capitalistic society, but it really has opened a completely new side of me I didn't know I had, and a deep appreciation for this culture.

Don't get me wrong, I miss my family dearly and wish they could experience this with me.  Rome certainly has its pitfalls to complement its beauty.  But i cant help but think of things differently after being here and has made a big impact on me.

Day 3

Not quite as active of a day as the past one, but lots more sight seeing and exploring.  Woke up and decided to make the several-mile hike to the America bookstore with some friends.  Much better than taking the bus for me, especially since we really have no idea where they are going.  We did have a map...and thankfully someone that could read it.  But we did stop and make some detours....


First stop was...the Pantheon!

So the Pantheon was originally built and dedicated as what is believed to be a monument to the ancient Roman Gods in 27 BC.  It still today is the largest free-standing concrete dome structure in the world.  The structure we see now isnt completely from that time.  There were several large fires where the Pantheon was burned to the ground.  Current Pantheon was believed to have last been modified in 202AD.  There is a large oculus in the middle, which provides the only light into the temple.

It is really just monstrous.  Because of the crowd of people, I couldn't even get a good picture of the whole thing...or go in yet.  Something I noticed walking behind it was that the bottom of the structure was about 30-35ft lower than current sidewalks.  That's because Rome has burned so many times, that they just rebuild over the ruins, and has led to a huge difference between current elevations and ancient elevations.




Searching Rome's ancient monuments, it wasn't long before I saw some of the most famous arches in the world...

 The golden arches...












Continued on our journey following signs until we reached the Trevi fountain.

One of the newer structures(at least by Roman standards) the Trevi fountain was completed in 1762.  Although the water source that is used for it has been leading to this area since around 19 BC.  Through aqueducts, the water travels around 14 miles from outside of Rome to here.

Roomate Casey, and two girls i met right off the plane, Shannon and Charlotte.  The fountain really was beautiful and I definitely want to come back at to see it at night sometime.









Not much more sightseeing for alot of walking, although we did manage to find the Manhattan of Rome.  Gucci, Rolex, Prada, Cartier, Burberry, any upscale-luxury retailer was on this one street.  Numerous AMG Mercedes, Aston Martins, Jaguars and M3s lined the streets.  No one was using their bumpers to try and squeeze in between.  The streets are so tiny and packed with people, yet cars still make there way through somehow.  I actually got hit by one, granted it was only the mirror on a van that broke.  Finally made our way through the hordes of people to the Spanish Steps.

Spanish steps were really impressive, although we really couldn't see through the thousands of people that were there.  Originally the design was submitted as a competition in 1717 to build steps up to the French church.  

Massive amounts of people!!  Finally ate gelato, even though I felt like I was cheating on ice cream.  It really is awesome, plus didnt hurt eating on the Spanish steps.

Not really sure what church this was, but it was gorgeous.  It's extremely hard to get a feel for how big these structures really are.  Doors inside are almost 30 feet, and they are not even in the picture.










After trying to find a bus back, we had almost made our way back to where we could just walk back to campus.  About another 6 mile hike, but at least its good exercise.  Took a nap then walked around the streets to look for espresso and something to eat.  Found cool panini place and got food there. Went out later and night life in Rome is crazy.  So many people line the streets and it is a very light-hearted atmosphere.  Having 9 people with you probably helps.  On way back at around 2:30am, stopped for wine and appetizers.  Night life doesn't stop until really late here. Streets were still packed at 3:30am.  Had a blast with my new friends.

Not quite as many pictures or ancient monuments as blog before, but just as exciting of a day.  Kinda nervous, I hope my following blogs can compete with the previous after these two days! Loving Rome.